§ 94-40. Same—Taximeters.

(a)

It shall be unlawful for any owner or operator or driver of any taxicab to operate or cause to be operated, or drive or cause to be driven, any taxicab on the streets, alleys or public thoroughfares of the city unless the same is equipped with a taximeter, approved by the chief of police or his duly authorized representatives, and it shall be the duty of every owner using any taximeter at all times to keep the same accurate. Same shall be subject to inspection by the police department of the city, or any agent appointed or authorized to act for such department, for accuracy.

(b)

Taximeters shall be connected to the transmission or main drive shaft of the taxicab and shall be placed in the driver's compartment on the righthand side of the taxicab, with the face of such taximeter upon which the fare is recorded directed toward the passenger compartment and so situated as to be wholly visible to, and clearly discernible by, a passenger sitting in any part of the rear seat.

(c)

No person shall operate or permit to be operated or drive for hire any taxicab unless the taximeter shall have been sealed by the owner or his representative, or by the police department of the city with wire and lead seals as follows:

(1)

The mechanism shall be sealed within a case;

(2)

The meter shall be sealed to meter brackets; and

(3)

Driving equipment shall be sealed at the upper end to the meter bracket.

(d)

The face or dial of each taximeter shall be illuminated by suitable light arranged so that the figures may be read by any passenger in the taxicab.

(e)

The height of the numeral indicating the fare charge shall not be less than one-half inch.

(f)

All taximeters shall be subject to inspection and test by the police department at any time, and any taximeter found not to conform to the tolerance established in this section shall be ordered out of service, and the operator and driver thereof shall be guilty of a violation.

(g)

Taxicab owners shall be held responsible for accuracy of taximeters installed in their taxicabs within the tolerance allowed by this section. Inspections and tests shall be made when deemed necessary by the chief of police. A record shall be kept by the owner of each test of a taximeter, and this record shall be available for inspection by the chief of police at any time.

(h)

The tolerances to be allowed on all taximeters shall be as follows:

(1)

Tolerances on mileage tests:

a.

On bench test, with respect to the nominal number of spindle revolutions, a deficiency tolerance of one percent and an excess tolerance of one percent of the interval under test, with an added tolerance of 100 feet whenever the initial interval is included in the interval under test.

b.

On wheel and road tests, with respect to distance computed or actually traveled, a deficiency tolerance of two percent and an excess tolerance in excess of two percent of the interval under test, with an added tolerance of 100 feet whenever the initial interval is included in the interval under test; provided, however, that on a road test, if the taxicab tires are obviously worn, a tolerance in deficiency of one percent shall be allowed.

(2)

Tolerances on time tests:

a.

On individual time intervals, a tolerance of three seconds per minute, being five percent in deficiency; and a tolerance of six seconds per minute, being ten percent in excess; provided, however, that on the initial time interval the tolerance in excess may be nine seconds per minute, being 15 percent.

b.

On the average time interval (computed after excluding the initial interval), no tolerance in deficiency and a tolerance of three seconds per minute, being five percent in excess.

(i)

It shall be unlawful for any driver of a taxicab to break a seal on such taximeter or to tamper with said seal, or to so manipulate such taximeter as to cause it to inaccurately measure the distance traveled by the taxicab to which it is attached, and it shall be unlawful for any driver to drive a taxicab with a broken seal.

(j)

It shall be unlawful for any driver of a taxicab, while carrying passengers, to display the flag attached to the taximeter in such a position as to denote that such taxicab is not employed, or to throw the taximeter into a recording position when such taxicab is not actually employed, or to fail to throw the flag of such meter in a nonrecording position at the termination of each and every service.

(Ord. No. 150, art. V, 12-1-55; Code 1973, § 20-29)